Glass ampul serving as packing receptacle for surgical sewing material



SURGICAL SEWING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 27. 1926 R GRAF ET AL GLASS AMPUL SERVING AS PACKING REGEPTACLE FOR Sept. 27, 1927.

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Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

' UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLF GRAF AND WILHELM LAPP, OF NUREMBERG', GERMANY.

GLASSAMPULSERVING AS PACKINGRECEPTACLE FOR SURGICAL SEWING MATERIAL.

Application filed September 37, 1926, Serial No. 138,055, and-in Germany October 1, 1925.

This invention relates to a glass-ampul serving as packing-receptacle for surgical sewing material, said ampul being divided by a neck-like indentation into two compartments, communicating with each other by means of an aperture.

In contradistinction to known packingreceptacles of a similar character the subject-matter of the invention is distinguished by its novel construction and arrangement.

By this novel construction and arrangement the advantage is obtained, that now the neck-aperture serves merely as passageopening for 'the thread-end, while the head to be broken off is fixed by an indentation provided in the upper chamber in such a. manner, that even after said head is broken ofi, apart of said upper chamber remains unhurt and forms a passage for the sewing material V On account of this construction the starting end of the thread also is stillprotected in the upper chamber, which after breaking off of the head, is filled upwith a sterilizing liquid and in which a ball-shaped body is provided, which holds the thread end and prevents the same from sliding back.

The novel packingreeeptacle insures accordingly asepsis in a fanreaching degree, and forms not only a shipping and storing receptacle, but forms simultaneously the delivering-receptacle, from which the sewing material is consumed in the lengths required for use. Thereby it is possible, besides the, known small packing-receptacles with at the most 3 meters of sewing materiaht'o produce now also larger packing receptacles for a much greater quantity of sewing material, as the latter. can'now be gradually consumed from the receptacle without any danger and without being repacked.

Such large packing receptacles are main ly necessary for surgical requirements and otter the advantage that, as up to'now, the sewing material is not removed from the shippingboxes orreceptacles, and does not require a repacking or placing into socalled storing or consumption-receptacles, whereby, of course, the danger of a new'infection of the sterile sewing material is at hand. The novel shipping, storingand also consumption-packing is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figs. 1 and 2 are longitudinal sections of two different forms of construction of the ampul, while The upper chamber 1 is provided with lateral indentation 4, whereby the upper head 1 to be broken ofi' is fixed. The chamber 1 can have either cylindrical shape as shown in Figs. 1-3 or a reduced shape as shown in Figs. 45, so that the headland above it the indentation has the shape of a stud. By thelast described shape the opening or breaking of the ampul is mate -v rially facilitated, as the comparatively thin head stud can be broken ofl' easily. 1

Within the chamber 1 a glass ball 5 is provided and the thread end 6 of the sewing material '6 projects through the neck opening into the chamber 1 and is held there and revented from sliding back by means of said ball 5.

The sewing material 6 is placed into the lower space 2 from, below and the opening is closed by fusing, after a sterilizing liquid known per se has been poured over the sewing material. The ampul is then ready to be shipped and can be stored for an unlimited period of time. The sewing material is introduced into the chamber 2 when the ampul is in inverted position. The sterilizing liquid then poured upon the sewing material flows into the chamber 1, from which it flows back into the chamber 2 after the ampul has been closed and again inverted. There remains a sufiiciently large gap A cap 8 Which'is added to; the ampul and which fits over the upper chamber 1, is now placed over the opened ampul, after a tuft of cotton-wool has been inserted into said cap; the ampul is then temporarily closed until the sewing material is to be used again.

The ampul or the delivery receptacle respectively formed by said ampul can be placed now into a stand, which holds the receptacle in vertical position. According to Fig. 2, the lower chamber 2 is still provided with lateral indentations 7, which serve as supporting feet for the ball of sewing material, so that the latter cannot drop down to the bottom of the ampul. By means of my improved ampul the sewing material is protected against any infection and is always ready for use. The glass ball, provided in the upper chamber locks the initial thread in a reliable manner. The ampul as a whole can be immersed into a sterilizing liquid before its use, so that also the external sides of the same are rendered sterile and any danger of infection is out of the question. v

The ampul, which serves at the same time as delivery receptacle is fully suitable for surgical purposes.

We claim:

1. A glass-ampul serving as packing-receptacle .for surgical sewing material, comprising in combination two differently dimensioned chambers adapted to communicate with each other, a neck indentationbetween said chambers, a ball of surgical sewing material contained in the lower chamber with a sterilizing liquid, a glass ball .provided in the upper chamber, said glass ball being supported by said neck indentation and adapted to hold the projecting end thread of the sewing material in position and to prevent the same from sliding back into the lower chamber, and a lateral groove in the upper chamber, adapted to fix the point of breaking off the upper part or cap of said chamber. 7

2. A glass-ampul serving as packing-receptacle for surgical sewing material, comprising in combination two differently dimensioned chambers adapted to communicate with each other, a neck indentation between said chambers, a ball of surgical sewing material contained in thelower chamber within a sterilizing liquid, lateral indenta tions in said lower chamber, said indentations supporting the ball of sewing material and permitting the same only a limited freedom of motion, a glass ball provided in the upper chamber, said glass ball being supported by said neck indentation and adapted to hold the projecting end thread of the Sewing material in position and to prevent the same from sliding back into the lower chamber, and a lateral groove in the-upper chamber, adapted to fix the point of breaking ofi the upper part or cap of said chamber.

3. A glass-ampul serving as packing-receptacle for surgical sewing material, comprising, in combination two differently dimensioned chambers adapted to communicate with each other, a neck indentation between said chambers, a ball 'of surgical sewing material contained in the lower chamber within a sterilizing liquid, lateral indentations in said lower chamber, said indenta-' tions supporting the ball of sewing material and permitting the same only a limited free dom of motion, a glass ball provided in the upper chamber, said glass ball bein supported by said neck indentation and ac apted to hold the projecting end thread of the sewing material in position and to prevent the same from sliding back into the lower chamber, a lateral groove in the upper chamber, adapted to fix the point of breaking ofl the upper part or cap of said chamber, and a stud-like reduced head on the upper part of the upper chamber, said stud head serving to facilitate the breaking off of the upper chamber part.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

RUDOLF GRAF. WILHELM LAPP. 

